Adolescents live in a world that attempts to restrict their essence as much as possible (247), especially if they are of color. In this “social jungle” there’s no feeling of being alive without a sense of identity(253). Referring specifically to American teens, it has been argued that industrial democracy poses special restrictions in that it insists on self-made identities ready to grasp the perceived pervasive opportunity and ready to adjust to the changing necessities of life(255). Change itself can be a shock to the system of adolescents since it can break up the inner consistency of their hierarchy of expectations (257).
Minorities experience the psychosocial formation of identity(261) in a quite distinct manner than their white counterparts. For example, it has been inculcated into some African Americans that doing well in school is equated with “selling out” or becoming non-black(259). Although Janie Victoria Ward claims that African American females have two strikes to their being(268), I disagree with her. I think that minority men are the ones born with 2 strikes. Minority women can be discriminated for their color and possibly for their sexual practices, but they are not direct competitors of the elite white males. Minority male teens compete with white male teens in the academic, athletic, and social milieus.
From Enora R. Brown we gain an understanding of just how different the scholastic environments of these competitors can be. For poor minorities a JROTC and vocational curricula are the norm. Affluent white teens can expect the best in college and business-prep curricula. The militarization and privatization of the poor minorities’ schools are a way to continue the current social order, in which rich whites have the most to gain(277). Brown concludes with some suggestions to challenge the current educational inequities.
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I think your comment about minority men having 2 strikes against them is interesting. I do agree that they do face that competition. I do not think that men competing against white men takes away from the fact that minority women face even more competition. If we look at how hard minority men have to compete against the white men then just imagine how it would be for the minority woman to compete against a white man in society. I agree with you but I still think that minority women face more obstacles than everybody else in society to be successful.
ReplyDeleteIt's really hard to make an argument against the notion that black children have a harder time getting ahead in this world. The system we live in puts all kinds of obstacles in their way which are sometime unavoidable. The quote you sited that I agree with most is that sometimes getting good grades and succeeding in life can be seen as "selling out" to the black community. This is really unfortunate because it limits some kids potential and prevents them from breaking down the very same barriers we're talking about.
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